People buying notebooks usually already have one, a market research firm says.

Only 2 percent of the 10.5 million U.S. households planning to buy notebooks in the next 12 months are first-time buyers, Park Associates said in a report released this week.

People who weren't interested in portable computing were found to have an Internet connection, but seldom participated in online activities and showed little to no interest in purchasing a laptop, despite falling prices. By comparison, the majority of household planning to buy a laptop already owned one, with early adopters accounting for 29 percent of those households.

"The laptop market is a mile wide and an inch deep," John Barrett, director of research at Parks Associates, said in a statement.

Even though new notebooks are available for less than $500, buyers taking advantage of the low prices are usually getting a laptop to complement their existing desktop or notebook, Barrett said.

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